2 syllables: con, tains. Stress on tains.
kuhn-TAYNZ
/kəˈnteɪnz/
contains is pronounced kuhn-TAYNZ (/kəˈnteɪnz/). It has two syllables (con-tains), with the stress on "tains". Contains is a verb meaning to hold or have within; or as a noun in certain contexts, it can denote contents or components inside something. In everyday use, it most often functions as a third-person singular present tense of contain, or as a plural noun meaning items inside a container. It conveys inclusion, encapsulation, or restraint depending on context.
Contains is a verb meaning to hold or have within; or as a noun in certain contexts, it can denote contents or components inside something. In everyday use, it most often functions as a third-person singular present tense of contain, or as a plural noun meaning items inside a container. It conveys inclusion, encapsulation, or restraint depending on context.
"The jar contains homemade jam."
"This chapter contains several key examples of the concept."
"The report contains confidential information that must be secured."
Contains is pronounced /kənˈteɪnz/. The primary stress falls on the second syllable. Start with a quick, neutral /kən/ before the stressed /ˈteɪnz/ sequence, where /teɪ/ is the long A as in lake, and /nz/ ends with a light nasal and voiced alveolar nasal release. Tip: keep the /t/ clean, then glide into the long /eɪ/ before finishing with /nz/. Listening to a native reference helps—try a quick audio check on Pronounce or Forvo using the word in a sentence.
Common errors include pronouncing it as /kənˈtaɪnz/ by confusing the vowel in the stressed syllable with /aɪ/; another is dropping the /n/ before the final /z/ making /kənˈteɪz/ or adding an extra syllable /kənˈtɪnz/. To correct: keep the /eɪ/ vowel in /teɪnz/ steady and ensure the final /nz/ is a light release without turning into /ŋz/ or /nz/ after a voiceless consonant. Practice with minimal pairs: contain vs contains.
In US English, /kənˈteɪnz/ with rhoticity kept in connected speech. UK English tends to be non-rhotic or weakly rhotic in many regions; the final /nz/ remains, but the /r/ influence is minimal. Australian English generally preserves /ɹ/? as in rhotic? In practice, all three maintain the /teɪnz/ nucleus; differences are in vowel quality of /ə/ or /ɐ/ in unstressed syllables and in the flapping of /t/ or /d/ in rapid speech. The main cue is the stressed /eɪ/ and the final /nz/ release vary slightly in length and voicing.
The difficulty lies in the unstressed first syllable /kən/ blending quickly into the stressed /ˈteɪnz/. Learners often misplace the stress, mispronounce the /eɪ/ as /ɛ/ or misarticulate the final /nz/ as /nz/ with a strong stop. Focus on the clear /k/ onset, the short neutral schwa /ə/ in the first syllable, then the prominent /teɪnz/ with a light nasal release. Gentle lip rounding and controlled jaw stabilization help keep the final /nz/ clean in fast speech.
Is the final -s in contains representing a third-person singular verb form, or is it part of a noun plural sense as in contents? In most common uses, contains is the third-person singular present form of contain (verb), not a plural noun. The pronunciation remains /kənˈteɪnz/ with the -s serving as part of the /nz/ cluster. The noun contents is pronounced /ˈkɒnˌtɛn(t)s/ or /ˈkɒntɛnts/ depending on dialect, but that is a different word with a separate stress pattern.
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Contains comes from the verb contain, which derives from the Latin continēre, from con- ‘together’ + tenēre ‘to hold’. The Latin continēre evolved into Old French contenir, then Late Middle English contenien, with spelling variants such as counteynen. The modern verb contains (with -s) developed as a third-person singular present form of contain in English. The noun form contents, denoting the things held inside something, follows a similar lineage, with Meillet and Curtius tracing the semantic shift toward “things inside” by the 15th century. The broader semantic field includes holding, containing, restraining, and enclosing, which over centuries broadened into idiomatic uses especially in law, science, and literature. The word’s root in Latin (continēre) reflects a fusion of togetherness and holding, which in English stabilized into standardized present-tense inflection contains, aligning with other -ain endings in Old English influence. First known English attestations appear in legal and apocryphal texts of the 14th–15th centuries, with modern spelling and usage consolidating in Early Modern English period. The evolution shows a shift from physical holding to abstract inclusion (e.g., ‘this book contains ideas’) and then to computational/technical uses (data contains records). Today, contains remains a versatile verb and a plural noun in common usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "contains" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "contains" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "contains"
-ins sounds
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